FRONTIERS OF ZOOLOGYDale A. Drinnon has been a researcher in the field of Cryptozoology for the past 30+ years and has corresponded with Bernard Heuvelmans and Ivan T. Sanderson. He has a degree in Anthropology from Indiana University and is a freelance artist and writer. Motto: "I would rather be right and entirely alone than wrong in the company with all the rest of the world"--Ambroise Pare', "the father of modern surgery", in his refutation of fake unicorn horns.

Thursday, 26 December 2013

OGOPOGO.
Michelle and Gilles Beliveau from Westbank took this photo of a form just below the water on Sept. 7/06 south of the Kelowna Mission area on the east side of Okanagan Lake. The photo was taken from their boat at 2:30pm. They estimated the object was about 25 feet long and approx 50 feet from the boat

Wednesday, 25 December 2013

Posted at the Lake Monsters Facebook page as representing "The Obra Water Monster.POLAND". This could be a very large otter, hence a possible Master-otter. The hide of it actually reminds me of the wetted fur of a swimming dog more than anything else.It does not look like a fish and that would be a highly unusual position for a fish to get its body into

Loch Ness is not the only lake with a reputation for a Monster.The River Obra, a small offshoot of the River Warta, in the west of what is now Poland, is said to be the home of a similar giant water-based 'monster'.

Over the years, many reliable witnesses, have reported seeing a giant snake-like creature either in the river Warta or Obra, or in one of the many lakes, which are connected to the river Obra. Some report seeing ducks, swans and even small dogs being attacked and dragged underwater by some powerful unseen predator. Few of which emerge from the water again. Others have supposedly witnessed a giant snake trying to upset boats on one of the lakes in the area in which the river Obra is situated.

Some have suggested that this snakelike monster is in fact a giant European Catfish, which by some freak of nature has grown to enormous proportions. Elsewhere in Europe the same fish has been shown to have attacked dogs and large water birds, so there would appear to be no reason why the reports from Poland of a giant 'lake monster' shouldn't actually relate to a catfish.

Whether this is a giant fish or something more mysterious is uncertain. But stories continue to this day of a giant water dwelling creature, which hunts after dusk along the sparcely populated Obra.

There is also an interesting local legend connected with the Obra river. This legend is centred around the northern part of the river, near Bledzew, and in particular, Lake Czapliniec, and tells of a giant long-lived 'fish' (some say monster!), which is said to eat ducks, swans and even small dogs.

Italy’s Lake Como Has A Monster Called Lariosauro.
Scotland is famous for the Loch Ness monster, Nessie, but Italy’s Lake Como also has a monster: Lariosauro – or ‘Larry’ for short.

Lariosauro lives in Lake Como near the aptly named hamlet of Nesso on the shores of Lake Como in Lombardy. The first reported sighting of the Italian monster was by a fisherman who saw something mysterious in the lake in 1949. In 1957, a diver in a Bathysphere reported seeing a strange beast in the lake at a depth of 328 feet, saying that it had a head like a crocodile and feet like a reptile. The monster even became the subject of a book published in 2000, ‘Il Lariosaurio’ by Giovanni Galli.

Lake Como is a glacial lake, meaning it is both very old and deep. Believers in Lariosauro point out that although the area is now home to lakes and mountains some 225 million years ago during the Middle Triassic Period, it was covered by sea. In 1830, a fossil of a reptilian creature with a short neck and flippers was discovered at Perdelo on Lake Como. An extinct type of nothosaur, the 2-foot-long fossil was classified as Lariosaurus balsami in 1847. Lake Como is also known as ‘Lario’ after its Latin name ‘Larius Lacus’ and Lariosaurus means ‘lizard from Lario’. Some have suggested that Lariosauro is its descendant and perhaps even related to Scotland’s Nessie.

Como Lake monster: the legend of Lariosauro

Como Lake is one of the deepest European lakes, at about 410 meters (1200 feet) at the deepest location. That's why the legend of the cryptid Lariosauro actually seems to be plausible.

On November 18, 1946 two hunters near Colico, the north shore of Como Lake, claim to have met a creature with very harsh reddish scales for a length of ten to twelve meters near the shore. The two hunters took their rifles and fired in the direction of the "thing" that quickly gained the center of the lake disappearing with a sharp hissing sound. This strange animal was called Lariosauro, the same name used a century before to name a prehistoric reptile (Lariosaurus balsami) whose fossilized remains were found by the lake in 1830. The fossils of this and other species were found later and now they can be found behind the windows of the museums of Lecco and Munich of Bavaria.

Other similar sightings not far from this area gave baptism to the legendary Lariosauro, that regularly recurred in subsequent years: in 1954 a couple, father and son, spotted something with a rounded snout and webbed feet swimming on the water. It was only eighty centimeters long (A little less than a yard long: perhaps a rare otter). Three years after a bathysphere, which submerged ninety meters deep off the coast of Dervio, met an animal with a crocodile-like head and a body length of about two meters.The last sighting happened in 2003: a giant eel, about 10-12 meters long, was seen in Lecco. Skeptical researcher Giorgio Castiglioni, who studied these cases, thinks that it was actually a group of fish swimming together.

Popular tradition, a pinch of truth and a few drops of fantasy are the perfect ingredients for a legend.

Lariosauro is a cryptid reported to live in Lake Como in Italy, about 30 miles north of Milan. Como is one of the deepest European lakes, at about 410 m (1200 feet) at the deepest location

In 1946, eye witnesses allegedly reported seeing a reptile-like animal swimming in the waters of the lake. It was called lariosauro, the same name used a century before to name a prehistoric reptile whose fossilized remains were found by the lake (Lariosaurus balsami). A weekly of Como, a week after the first article, wrote it was a sturgeon, but the sturgeon as well as the monster appear to be more simply a hoax invented by the press.

There were other sightings, or alleged sightings, in Lake Como.

In 1954 in Argegno a creature with round muzzle and back and webbed paws.

In August 1957 an enormous monster in the waters between Dongo and Musso.

In September 1957 a strange animal whose head was described as similar to a crocodile head.

Skeptic researcher Giorgio Castiglioni, who studied these cases, thinks that the animal of 1954 was an otter, the monster of August 1957 a hoax, the beast of September 1957 possibly a pike and the 2003 eel actually a group of fish swimming together.

External link

[This is one of the creatures which have been thought to be related to the Tatzelwurm on the Northern side of the Alps and it appears to be lizard-shaped and 2 to 6 feet long. It is most likely a giant Salamander owing to Ulrich Magin's identification of the Tatzelwurm. This is more than likely not the only kind of a Tatzelwurm there is, but it is very likely what the "Lake monster" version of Tatzelwurm is.-DD]The first Wikipedia link, translated to English:GIORGIO Castiglioni

LARIOSAURO BETWEEN THE IMAGINATION AND ZOOLOGY

Giancarlo Colombo has spoken of lariosauro intended as a fossil reptile. But I will talk about the lariosauro understood as the alleged lake monster which has been talked about in November of 1946."Corriere Como" published a news that in the lake, at Pian di Spagna, near Colico, it would have appeared a huge animal that would have scared the hunters who were there. I would say that anyone who reads the article can be little doubt about the fact that news is clearly an invention of the newspaper. Despite this, the story has a great success. Is taken from the local newspaper "La Provincia", who invents another sighting, just as not credible, and invents as well that, years before, there would have been another. Is picked up by newspapers around Italy, for example by the "Corriere della Sera".Time after end even mentioned, even in passing, in a Donald Duck story. After you have made ​​various assumptions about the nature of this animal, "Corriere Como" decides to put an end to the career of his monster, and after a week, he writes that it was simply a sturgeon caught by two guys. News such as that invented the monster sturgeon. Another clue we give it the same "Courier Como," which, shortly thereafter, publish in the same bottom of the first page, where it had appeared and monster sturgeon, the appearance of a ghost with photos. Well, that position was not an index of the reliability of the news.There is a similar case in August 1957. This time is a daily Como, "The Order", to publish the news of a huge monster appeared between Dongo and Musso.Here, too, it is clearly an invention of the newspaper and this time has not even happened. The news there remains isolated.A case a bit 'more interesting is that of the next month (September 1957). It 's always "The Order" we wrote that two men from a bathysphere have seen a strange animal. I have seen the front, considering that it could be long in total between 60 centimeters and one meter and twenty. The description is very vague and therefore it is difficult to speculate. There is one particular, that the head resembles that of a crocodile, which could make us think that - if the news is reliable and it has been reported correctly - the animal could possibly be a big pike. Of course, with details so vague, it's hard to say for sure.A recent case (2003) was reported in a forum on the internet. One person said he had seen from Monte Barro, looking down into the lake in Lecco, about 10-12 feet long eel, measures clearly exaggerated for what we know. At the same forum, someone wanted to make a joke about what might have been drinking on top of the mountain and someone else, taking more seriously the thing, he speculated that it could be a group of fish that swam compact and that could have given the 'impression that it was a very long one fish. Although the author of the sighting denied, it is clear that the hypothesis of a group of fish, or light reflections on the surface, it is more credible to think that not long eel 10-12 feet long.An interesting case, what I was most passionate about, is to Argegno 1954. The newspapers, local newspapers, but also others around Italy, devoted a few lines, with few details. There was, however, one interesting: the name of the man who had seen this animal. So I was able to contact him and ask him some more information about this strange animal, so as to supplement the very meager news appeared in newspapers.From his description shows that it was an animal on the long 80-90 centimeters. Surely it was not a fish. To explain it to me, told me that while the front of the fish is pointed, this animal had instead a rounded snout. The same was true for the rear that was not as tight as you would expect in a fish, but larger.He said, like that of a pig. Another interesting detail: the legs. He said they were like those of a duck. Putting together all these details, the picture that emerges is that of a mammal with webbed feet. My idea is that it was an otter. The otters in 1954, there were still in Como, inter alia, at Pian di Spagna, just where it was set lariosauro the sighting of the "Corriere Comasco."Of course it can be born an objection, that I thought I: If an otter is at Pian di Spagna can be up to Argegno.There. To resolve this doubt I have asked for help from Claudio Prisons, University of Pavia, who was doing research on otters in the Pollino National Park, studying the behavior and, among other things, on the move. He told me that (even though it is of course one thing every day) for an otter can make a shift of this length. In his studies, facts on the ground, had recorded movements of considerable magnitude. The fact that it should be a sporadic case would seem to confirm the hypothesis: would also explain why the animal has not been recognized.Finally, I make some general observations that can apply not only to the lake of Como, but also for the 'whole phenomenon of monsters, lake or not.Firstly, there are often inventions. And the jokes. For example, on Lake Como, in 1965, had been thrown into the water a monster inflatable rubber. I told (with photo) "Corriere della Sera".Sometimes it may be that the animal was actually seen, but the sighting has been misunderstood. Instead of an animal unknown to science, it is an animal not recognized by the observer. So it could be, with a question mark, for pike in the case of September 1957, and a question mark with a little 'smaller, because it seems quite valid identification for the otter in the case of Argegno 1954 .often hear people say that if there are many voices on a lake means that something is true. In reality we should study the cases one by one because it is clear that an animal such as Argegno and that of September 1957 are described in a way so different that it is impossible to say that two news reinforce the hypothesis of the existence of a new species . In the limit would increase to two new species ...I think that, as he said Giancarlo Colombo, before thinking about things that are outside of what we know, we should take into account the assumptions about what you already know and then on the animals that already we know exist and that may have been seen.Giorgio Castiglioni , librarian at Paré and Moltrasio, studied news, rumors and legends about mysterious animals. Monster Larian wrote three articles in the first issue of "Studies of the municipal library of Cavallasca" (reprint: municipal libraries and Moltrasio Paré, 2005) and the "monsters" of Lake Como , in "Canturium", 3 , Apr. 2005, pp.33-35.Other areas with similar water monsters reported from around Switzerland, other reports are in Bavaria. The basic type could be a Giant Salamander described as 2 feet to 6 feet long, but confused with rare sightings of otters and even big fishes. It is possible the length can be estimated as twice too long in some reports. The basic creature has a round head and round fat cylindrical body with four short legs and definite feet with digits, sometimes said to be webbed, and a lizard-like tail. Reports spill over even into the former Yugoslavia and the Balkans. Giant eels are also reported, but ambiguously. It can apparently also take up residence in caves and travel along underground streams, and also breed in them when necessary.Known reports run back to the 1700s and early 1800s. There is one photo of a Lake Monster known from this area, but it is a probable hoax. I have a copy of the photo cut from a magazine stuck away in my files. More definitely crocodile-like monsters (Medcrocs) up to 30 feet long or more, are reported further to the South and are occasionally reported ashore.

Just posted to me by Carolyn Rose Goyda on Facebook, with my reply as follows:

Hey you know what? everybody gets this one wrong. There was a time back before the term "Bigfoot" became popular, that what we call "Bigfoot" now was known as "North America's Abominable Snowman", about the time Sanderson's book came out. So this is not a Yeti (and it is never called that in the story) This represents a WENDIGO. And everybody that looks at this one and says "Yetis are not white" (which is a different argument) are missing the point: this is not a Yeti and the representation of it has actually nothing to do with the Yeti reported in the Himalayas. This is the "Big Footed Snow Monster of the Northlands" which is mentioned in old cartoons back at the beginning of Talkies. H. P. Lovecraft knew enough about the Wendigo to incorporate it as a monster in his mythos.

Tuesday, 24 December 2013

Thousands of species were scientifically described for the first time in 2013. Many of these were "cryptic species" that were identified after genetic analysis distinguished them from closely-related species, while others were totally novel. Below are some of the most interesting "new species" discoveries that took place or were formally announced in 2013.

The last name of the author of each post is listed in parentheses.

New tapir discovered in the Amazon (Hance)

A decade of research proved what indigenous tribes have long known: a diminutive tapir that inhabits open grasslands and forests in Colombia and Brazil is distinct from the larger Brazilian tapir. The species is named Tapirus kabomani after the name for "tapir" in the local Paumari language: "Arabo kabomani."

Described in the Journal of Mammalogy, the Kobomani tapir is the fifth tapir found in the world and the first to be discovered since 1865. It is also the first mammal in the order Perissodactyla (which includes tapirs, rhinos, and horses) found in over a hundred years. Moreover, this is the largest land mammal to be uncovered in decades: in 1992 scientists discovered the saola in Vietnam and Cambodia, a rainforest bovine that is about the same size as the new tapir.

A pair of Kobomani tapirs caught on camera trap. The individual on the left is a female and on the right a male. Females of the new species are characterized by a light patch on lower head and neck. Photo courtesy of Fabrício R. Santos.

New marsupial discovered in Ecuador (Hance)

The newly discovered marsupial: Caenolestes sangay with its signature small ears and long snout. Photo courtesy of Ojala-Barbour et al.

Researchers working in Ecuador identified a previously unknown species of shrew-opossum, according to a study published in the Journal of Mammalogy. Contrary to its mousey appearance, Caenolestes sangay, named after the national park where it was discovered, is actually a marsupial.

The team from Pacific Lutheran University set up more than 100 live traps over 15 nights on the eastern slopes of Andes. In the course of their research they recovered five specimens of the new species, each measuring approximately 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) long. Previously, researchers had considered it to be a subspecies due to its similarities with other populations inhabiting the western slopes of the Andes. Upon further scrutiny, however, the field workers noticed a difference in the shape of the animal's head.

New mountain porcupine discovered in Brazil (Hance)

In Brazil's Baturite Mountains, scientists uncovered a new species of prehensile-tailed porcupine, according to a paper in Revista Nordestina de Biologia. Dubbed, the Baturite porcupine (Coendou baturitensis), the new species was discovered when scientists noticed significant differences between it and its closest relative, the Brazilian porcupine (Coendou prehensilis). The name prehensile-tailed refers to these porcupine's long, mobile tail which they use as a fifth limb to adroitly climb trees.

Close view of the new porcupine species, the Baturite porcupine: Coendou baturitensis. Photo by: Hugo Fernandes-Ferreira.

New cat species in Brazil (Hance)

In November, scientists announced the stunning discovery of a new species of cat, long-confused with another. Looking at the molecular data of small cats in Brazil, researchers found that the tigrina—also known as the oncilla in Central America—is actually two separate species. The new species is called Leopardus guttulus and lives in the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil, while the other Leopardus tigrinus is found in the cerrado and Caatinga ecosystems in northeastern Brazil.

DNA tests have revealed a new small wild cat species: Leopardus guttulus. Pictured here, the new species is primarily found in the Atlantic Forest. Photo by: Projeto Gatos do Mato - Brasil/Project Wild Cats of Brazil.

While new species discoveries are generally viewed as good news for conservationists, the November announcement of a new bat species in Brazil meant that another species is actually more vulnerable than previously thought. Long thought to comprise one species, the populations of Bokermann's nectar bat (Lonchophylla bokermanni) in the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado are in fact distinct from one another, according to a study in Zootaxa. Scientists say the Atlantic Forest's population represents a newly described species, which they have dubbed Peracchi's nectar bat (Lonchophylla peracchii). However, this new classification leaves the entire Bokermann's nectar bat species restricted to a 150 square kilometers in the Cerrado and at grave risk from habitat destruction.

5 new, cryptic bats in Senegal (Edwards)

An international research team led by Professor Petr Koube and Darina Koubínová discovered five new species of vesper bats during a series of expeditions to Senegal's Niokolo-Koba National Park, according to a paper published in Frontiers in Zoology. The new species are considered cryptic, because their genetic makeup is different despite physical similarities. The new bats have yet to be named.

Nycticeinops schlieffenii. Photo courtesy of Prof. Jaroslav Červený.

New dolphin species in northern Australia (Hance)

With the help of DNA tests, scientists in October declared a new dolphin species that dwells off the coast of northern Australia. The discovery was made after a team of researchers looked at the world's humpback dolphins (in the genus Sousa), which sport telltale humps just behind their dorsal fins. While long-known to science, the new, as-yet-unnamed species was previously lumped with other humpback dolphins in the Indo-Pacific region.

According to the study published in Molecular Ecology—which looked at the dolphins' physical features (including over 180 skulls) as well as their mitochondrial and nuclear DNA—the world's humpback dolphins should be split into four total species: the Atlantic humpback dolphin (Sousa teuszii) found off the coast of West Africa; Sousa plumbea found in the western and central Indian Ocean; Sousa chinensis found in the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans; and the new species off the coast of Australia.

Researchers from James Cook University and National Geographic discovered three new herp species — a cryptic leaf-tail gecko, a colorful skink, and a frog — during an expedition to northeastern Australia. The species are described in three papers published in October in the journal Zootaxa.

In March, a team led by Conrad Hoskin from James Cook University and photographer Tim Laman of National Geographic and Harvard University explored a remote mountain range on Cape Melville. It was the first time scientists had surveyed the forest that grows among boulders on the summit of the range. Within days the team had identified the two lizards and frog along with several other species that may prove new to science.

It's hard to mistake an arapaima for anything else: these massive, heavily-armored, air-breathing fish (they have to surface every few minutes) are the megafauna of the Amazon's rivers. But despite their unmistakability, and the fact that they have been hunted by indigenous people for millennia, scientists still know relatively little about arapaima, including just how many species there are. Since the mid-Nineteenth Century, scientists have lumped all arapaima into one species: Arapaima gigas. However, two studies in Copeia split the arapaimas into at least five total species—and more may be coming.

In the most recent study, researcher Donald Stewart with SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), describes an entirely new species of arapaima based on a specimen held in the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia in Brazil. Dubbed Arapaima leptosoma, the new species is more slender than Arapaima gigas and possesses other important physical differences.

A new species of arapaima: Arapaima leptosoma. This species is housed at Sevastopol Sea Aquarium in the Ukraine, but long conflated with Arampaima gigas. Photo by: George Chernilevsky.

The species, all members of the Anniella genus, were hiding in plain site, living in marginal habitats that included "a vacant lot in downtown Bakersfield, among oil derricks in the lower San Joaquin Valley, on the margins of the Mojave desert, and at the end of one of the runways at LAX," according to a statement from UC Berkeley.

A ground-warbler from the Philippines was the twenty-third species of bird described in 2013. The species, dubbed Robsonius thompsoni, was described in the August issue of the journal The Condor. It was discovered after researchers from the University of Kansas, the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, the University of the Philippines Los Baños, and the Philippine National Museum distinguished it from two closely-related ground-warblers.

The olinguito (Hance)

In August, Zookeys announced a major discovery: the first new mammalian carnivore described in the Western Hemisphere since the 1970's. Dubbed the olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina), the new mammal is a member of a little-known, elusive group of mammals—olingos—that are related to raccoons, coatis, and kinkajous. It lives in Andean cloud forests.

The world's newest species in the mammal order Carnivora: the olinguito. The one was photographed in the wild at Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Ecuador. Photo by: Mark Gurney.

Peter Pan fairy in Central America (Millar)

A new genus of fairyfly has been discovered in Costa Rica. The new species is aptly named Tinkerbella nana after the fairy in J.M. Barrie’s play Peter Pan is one of the smallest winged insects in the neotropics.

Found in both temperate and tropical climates, the fairyfly is not actually a fly as its name suggests, but instead is more closely related to wasps – being classed within the superfamily Chalcidoidea, or the "chalcid wasps." There are over 1,400 species of fairyfly, mostly found in the tropical environments of the southern hemisphere.

New flying mammal in Lao bushmeat market (Kimbrough)

In September 2012, a team from the National University of Laos surveyed markets in central Lao PDR for squirrels. In one of the many small markets, Daosavanh Sanamxay found something remarkable, a single specimen of a flying squirrel previously unknown to science. The researchers described this newly discovered species in a 2013 Zootaxa paper, giving it the English name: the Laotian giant flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus laoensis).

In July scientists described a new species of poison dart frog after discovering it during a study to determine the impact of tourism on biodiversity in a tract of rainforest known as "The Lost World" in Guyana. The scientists named the frog Allobates amissibilis — in Latin, "that may be lost" — in recognition of its home, which was the set for British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 book, The Lost World. The frog was discovered near Turu Falls, a waterfall at the foot of the Iwokrama Mountains in Central Guyana.

A previously unknown species of bird was found hiding in plain sight after scientists photographed what was thought to be more abundant species at a construction site on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capitol and largest city. Subsequent analysis revealed the species to be distinct.

Known as the Cambodian tailorbird (Orthotomus chaktomuk), the new bird is one of only two species endemic to Cambodia, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the group whose researcher Ashish John snapped the first pictures of the bird.

Male Cambodian tailorbird. Photos by Ashish John/WCS.

15 new species of birds in the Amazon (Hance)

From 2000-2009, scientists described on average seven new bird species worldwide every year. Discovering a new bird is one of the least common of any species group, given that birds are highly visible, mobile, and have been scrutinized for centuries by passionate ornithologists and birders. But scientists working in the southern Amazon have recorded an incredible 15 new species of birds according to the Portuguese publication Capa Aves. In fact, this is the largest group of new birds uncovered in the Brazilian in the Amazon in 140 years.

101 new beetles from New Guinea (Hance)

In a single paper, a team of researchers described 101 new species of weevils from New Guinea, more than doubling the known species in the beetle genus, Trigonopterus. Since describing new species is hugely laborious and time-intensive, the researchers turned to a new method of species description known as "turbo-taxonomy," which employs a mix of DNA-sequencing and taxonomic expertise to describe species more rapidly.

New species: Trigonopterus echinus. Photo by: Alexander Riedel.

3 species of carnivorous snails in Thailand (Smith)

Scientists from Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok and the Natural History Museum, London discovered three new species of carnivorous snails in northern Thailand. The new snail species — named Perrottetia aquilonaria, P. dermapyrrhosa and P. phuphamanesis — were collected during surveys throughout Thailand between 2008 and 2012 and are described in the open access journal Zookeys. Identified by their genital organs and shell characteristics, these are the first snails in their genus Perrottetia to be described in over a century.

The snails belong to the family Streptaxidae which is a terrestrial carnivorous group of snails known to feed on insect larvae, earthworms, and even other snails. These tiny snails less than 1 centimeter in size are found living within rock crevices, endemic to a single or few limestone mountain ranges in north and north-eastern Thailand, adopting a "one hill one species" endemism.

The beautiful bright orange-colored Perrottetia dermapyrrhosa, one of the newly described species from Thailand. Photo by: Somsak Panha.

.....

A giant African mole rat (Hance)

In 2002, researchers noticed a distinct-looking mole rat in Zambia. It took several years to confirm their hypothesis that they had uncovered a new species, but an April study published in Zootaxa by Paul Van Daele and colleagues described the world's newest mole rat: Caroline's mole rat (Fukomys vandewoestijneae).

The new mole rat was found in the Ikelenge pedicle, a geographic area that covers portions of Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Angola. Although little research has been conducted in the Ikelenge pedicle, scientists believe it is a hotspot for animals found nowhere else. Already scientists have discovered 28 endemic species: one amphibian, five mammals, three butterflies, and 19 dragonflies. This unique region is made up of gallery forests along rivers and wetlands (known locally as mushitus) and woodlands dominated by miombo trees, where the new mole rat was discovered. But, like most forests in the world, these are imperiled.

Researchers discovered two new frog genera in the rare and threatened freshwater swamps of the southern Western Ghats of India. The discoveries, described in the open-access journal Zootaxa, prove once again the importance of the mountain range as a biodiversity hotspot.

The Western Ghats is home to a stunning variety of flora and fauna ranging from large mammals like the Asiatic elephant (Elephas maximus) to fascinating amphibians such as the Malabar gliding frog (Rhacophorus malabaricus). Tree frogs like these gliding frogs belong to quite a diverse family of amphibians: Rhacophoridae. The mostly-arboreal rhacophorids are found in habitats including ground litter, on bushes and tree tops. Their reproductive modes also vary greatly: some lay eggs in foam nests that develop into tadpoles and metamorphize into frogs while others develop directly from eggs into young frogs. Around 60 rhacophorids are found in the Western Ghats. But knowledge about amphibian diversity in the mountain range has surged, with over 70 new species across all known genera discovered over the past decade.

Tree-dwelling porcupine in Brazil (Butler)

In an April issue of Zootaxa, scientists in Brazil described a new species of tree-dwelling porcupine in the country's most endangered ecosystems. A team of researchers led by Antonio Rossano Mendes Pontes, a biologist at the Federal University of Pernambuco, found the porcupine in a small forest fragment in the state of Pernambuco. They christened the creature Coendou speratus, a combination of its local name "coandu-mirim" and the Latin word "speratus" for "hope."

The name choice is appropriate given the porcupine's high risk of extinction. About 98 percent of its forest habitat has been destroyed, while its population is as fragmented as the forests it inhabits, making the species vulnerable in inbreeding, according to the researchers. The species is also actively hunted by locals.

Scientists have discovered a brilliantly-striped bat in South Sudan. Working in Bangangai Game Reserve during July of last year, biologist DeeAnn Redeer and conservationist Adrian Garsdie with Fauna & Flora International (FFI) came across an unmissable bat, which has been dubbed by various media outlets as the "badger bat" and the "panda bat."

After collecting a specimen, Reeder took the bat back to the U.S. and confirmed that it belongs to a species that was discovered over seventy years ago in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1939. However, that wasn't the end of the story.

"After careful analysis, it is clear that it doesn't belong in the genus that it's in right now," Reeder explains. "Its cranial characters, its wing characters, its size, the ears—literally everything you look at doesn't fit. It's so unique that we need to create a new genus."

Niumbaha superba. Photo by: DeeAnn Reeder.

A giant tarantula in Sri Lanka (Hance)

Described by a number of media outlets as "the size of your face" a new tree-dwelling tarantula discovered in Sri Lanka has awed arachnophiliacs and terrified arachnophobes alike. But the new species, named Raja's tiger spider (Poecilotheria rajaei), is likely Critically Endangered according to the scientist that discovered it in northern Sri Lanka.

New species of tarantula from Sri Lanka: Poecilotheria rajaei. Photo by: Ranil Nanayakkara.

Another 'penis snake' (Butler)

A new species of caecilian - a worm-like amphibian - has been discovered in the rainforests of French Guiana.

The new species is called Microcaecilia dermatophaga or "little skin-eating caecilian" in reference to the feeding habits of young caecilians, which peel and eat their mother's skin. The mother isn't injured by this process — she grows an extra layer of fat-rich skin during this phase of development. Adult caecilians feed on termites and earthworms and spend most of their time living underground or in leaf litter in tropical regions.

Little else is known about the new species, which is related to Atretochoana eiselti, the so-called "penis snake" — also a type of caecilian — that turned up in an Amazon river tributary last year when engineers were draining a tributary of the Amazon for the construction of a hydroelectric dam.

Scientists have discovered two new species of mouse lemurs in Madagascar, bringing the total number of diminutive primates known to science to 20, according to a paper published in the International Journal of Primatology.

Both species are unusually large for mouse lemurs. Microcebus marohita tips the scales at 78 grams (2.8 ounces), making it the largest of known mouse lemurs. It reaches a length of 28 cm. Microcebus tanosi is now the second largest known mouse lemur, reaching 27 cm from snout to tail and weighing about 50 grams. It is named after the Anosy region in southeast Madagascar.

Microcebus marohita mouse lemur. Photo by Bellarmin Ramahefasoa.

Scientists discover new genus of crustacean (Hance)

In recent journeys to Madagascar, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Philippines, and French Polynesia, scientists from the Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes and the University of Barcelona have discovered not only five new crustaceous species, but also the existence of a new genus in the family.

2 woodlizards in the Peruvian Amazon (Hance)

Scientists have discovered two new species of woodlizards from the Peruvian Amazon. Woodlizards, in the genus Enyalioides, are little-known reptiles with only 10 described species found in South and Central America. Described in ZooKeys, both new woodlizards were found in Cordillera Azul National Park, the nation's third-largest reserve.

Scientists named one of the new species Enyalioides azulae, or the blue woodlizard, after the Cordillera Azul (Blue Mountains). The other was named Enyalioides binzayedi, or Bin Zayed's woodlizard after Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan who helped fund the expedition through his Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (MBZSCF).

New species of woodlizard: Enyalioides binzayedi. Photo by: P.J. Venegas.

Two surveys in the mountainous forests of Sri Lanka's Peak Wilderness Sanctuary have uncovered eight new species of frogs, according to a paper in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. While every year over a hundred new amphibians are discovered, eight new discoveries in a single park is especially notable. Sri Lanka is an amphibian-lovers paradise with well over 100 described species, most of which are endemic.

A new species discovered in the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary: Pseudophilautus sirilwijesundarai. Photo by: L.J. Mendis Wickramasinghe.

The beautiful amphibian from Hell (Hance)

Researchers have discovered a new species of Vietnamese salamander that looks like it was birthed from an abyssal volcano. Found tucked away in Tokyo's National Museum of Nature and Science, the scientists described the species in Current Herpetology. Coal-black with orange-tinted toes, the new crocodile newt (in the genus Tylototriton) was determined to be a new species when it showed morphological and genetic differences from near relatives. Despite its remarkable appearance, the researchers say these are typical colors for crocodile newts.

The scientists named the new species Ziegler's crocodile newt (Tylototriton ziegleri) after Thomas Ziegler of Cologne Zoo who works with reptiles and amphibians in Vietnam. The new species is small, with males measuring 5.4 to 6.8 (2 to 2.6 inches) centimeters and females measuring 7.1 centimeters (2.7 inches). While genetic testing proved that it was a new species, the morphological differences were key.

Biologists have discovered two new species of salamander in Tamá National Natural Park in Colombia. While the discovery should be cause for celebration, the news was dampened by the fact that both species are already infected with the deadly fungal disease, known as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), which has wiped out amphibian populations worldwide. Both of the new salamanders belong to the genus Bolitoglossa, which are web-footed salamanders found in the tropical Americas.

Discovered on the eastern flank of the Andean mountains, the researchers named one of the new species the Tama salamander (Bolitoglossa tamaense) after Tama National Natural Park, and the other Leandra's salamander (Bolitoglossa leandrae) after a local girl, Leandra Mojica.

Bolitoglossa tamaense salamander. Photo courtesy of the authors

Owl species in Indonesia (Hance)

A unique whistling call has led scientists to discover a new owl on the Indonesian island of Lombok, according to a new study in PLoS ONE. Two scientific expeditions, occurring separately but within a few days of each other, both noticed something different about the calls coming from owls on Lombok.

The owl on Lombok was long-thought to be a population of the Moluccan scops owl (Otus magicus) due to similarities in plumage, but the unusual call pushed scientists to investigate further. Because they are nocturnal, owls depend on their calls to identify their own kind, allowing eavesdropping scientists to do the same.

A new species of owl: Rinjani scops owl. Photo by: Philippe Verbelen.

Giant flying frog in Vietnam (Hance)

Jodi Rowley is no stranger to discovering new amphibians—she's helped describe over 10 in her short career thus far—but she was shocked to discover a new species of flying frog less than 100 kilometers from a major, bustling Southeast Asian metropolis, Ho Chi Minh City. Unfortunately, the new frog, dubbed Helen's tree frog (Rhacophorus helenae), may be on the verge of extinction, according to the description published in the Journal of Herpetology.

Measuring 10 centimeters long, the new species is described as a giant flying frog. Flying frogs don't actually fly, but instead use webs between their hands and feet to glide from one tree to another. Researchers believe Helen's tree frog went unnoticed for so long, because it stuck to the high canopy.

Helen's tree frog. Photo courtesy of Jodi Rowley.

Neon blue dragon in Vietnam (Butler)

German and Russian biologists have discovered a stunning new species of lizard in Vietnam. The species, dubbed Calotes bachae, is described in Zootaxa.

Calotes bachae is a type of agama, a group of lizards commonly known as "forest dragons." It was described after DNA research led by Timo Hartmann revealed it was genetically distinct from another blue lizard species found in Myanmar and Thailand. In other words, it is what scientists call a cryptic species — one that has been hiding in plain sight.

Monday, 23 December 2013

The find of a lifetime: Bizarre 'panda bat' discovered in South Sudan

Researchers say the bat is an entirely new genus

Black and white fur make it look uncannily like a panda

By Mark PriggPUBLISHED: 05:23 EST, 10 April 2013 | UPDATED: 07:21 EST, 10 April 2013 Researchers have hailed a bat that looks uncannily like a panda bear as 'the find of a lifetime'.The bat, discovered in South Sudan, is so rare researchers believe it is an entirely new genus.'My attention was immediately drawn to the bat's strikingly beautiful and distinct pattern of spots and stripes,' said Bucknell Associate Professor of Biology DeeAnn Reeder, who made the discovery.'It was clearly a very extraordinary animal, one that I had never seen before - I knew the second I saw it that it was the find of a lifetime.'

The newly discovered genus Niumbaha superba, dubbed the 'panda bat' and discovered in South Sudan

Bear faced: The discovery was described as 'the find of a lifetime' by researchers

The bat's colouring is similar to a panda

Reeder spotted the animal in Bangangai Game Reserve.

After returning to the United States, Reeder determined the bat was the same as one originally captured in nearby Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1939 and named Glauconycteris superba, but she and colleagues did not believe that it fit with other bats in the genus Glauconycteris.

'After careful analysis, it is clear that it doesn't belong in the genus that it's in right now,' Reeder said.'Its cranial characters, its wing characters, its size, the ears — literally everything you look at doesn't fit. 'It's so unique that we need to create a new genus.'

In the paper, 'A new genus for a rare African vespertilionid bat: insights from South Sudan' just published by the journal ZooKeys, Reeder, along with co-authors from the Smithsonian Institution and the Islamic University in Uganda, placed this bat into a new genus - Niumbaha.

This image shows the distinguishing panda-like stripes of Niumbaha superba.

The word means 'rare' or 'unusual' in Zande, the language of the Azande people in Western Equatoria State, where the bat was captured. The bat is just the fifth specimen of its kind ever collected, and the first in South Sudan, which gained its independence in 2011.'Our discovery of this new genus of bat is an indicator of how diverse the area is and how much work remains,' Reeder added.'Understanding and conserving biodiversity is critical in many ways. 'Knowing what species are present in an area allows for better management. 'When species are lost, ecosystem-level changes ensue. 'I'm convinced this area is one in which we need to continue to work.'

The team's research in South Sudan was made possible by a $100,000 grant that Reeder received from the Woodtiger Fund.

Reseachers placed this bat into a new genus - Niumbaha. The word means "rare" or "unusual" in Zande, the language of the Azande people in Western Equatoria State, where the bat was captured

The private research foundation recently awarded Reeder another $100,000 dollar grant to continue her research this May and to support FFI's conservation programs.

'To me, this discovery is significant because it highlights the biological importance of South Sudan and hints that this new nation has many natural wonders yet to be discovered,' said Matt Rice, Fauna & Flora International's South Sudan country director. 'South Sudan is a country with much to offer and much to protect,'

Friday, 20 December 2013

[As far as I can tell these are standard Longnecks such as might be found at Lake Champlain or Loch Ness, at about the standard average sizes for the species, and the bigger male has an indication for a mane (described as spiny here-as a "horn"-and so probably of a cornified cutaneous material.) The heads have a generally Plesiosaurian conformation. -DD]

Both Costello and Mackal had published this illustration , said to be a petroglyph representing Ogopogo (Mackal uses the name "Naiataka")

Only the original is on Vancouver Island and this version as shown is incorrect in that it combines two different figures of the original petroglyph frieze. This is a well-known location and the illustration beow is taken from a standard reference work, Rock Art of the American Indian, by Mallory:

:The combination not only mistakenly combines two different objects, the second object which becomes the tail end is obviously a boat.The actual intended Sea monster is shown below, and it is much more Plesiosaurian. Furthermore Mallory concludes that the indications are this was an attempt to reproduce 'Something which the artist had seen and had stongly in mind', which can be read as "A pre-colonial native sighting of Cadborosaurus, which the artist wished to make a historical recording of"

This blog has ceased to function and several complaints to Blogger about the problem have gone unanswered. I am sorry but unless Blogger steps in and corrects the problem I shall be incapable of maintaining these blogs any further. Once again, the problem lies with Blogger and not with me.

Thursday, 19 December 2013

Coloured Pencil drawing of a redheaded Eastern Bigfoot, from a Facebook Bigfoot page

"Backwoods Bigfoot", clearly Neanderthal type facial features

Wisconsin Wildman

Another recent report described the Bigfoot they saw as looking like an Australia Aboriginal, in Ontario. Owing to technical difficulties I have not chosen to run that story now. But it is not the first time I have heard that description, either.

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